Executive Leadership

The Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group is governed by a Board of Directors composed of five (5) elected officers (President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and six (6) elected at-large Directors. For more information, please see our Association bylaws at http://www.ppag.org/bylaws.

2011-2012 Executive Officers

David Knoppert, President

David C. Knoppert, MScPhm is Clinical Leader of Paediatrics at London Health Science Centre in Ontario. Prior to his current appointment he was Liaison Neonatology and Coordinator of the Clinical Pharmacy Program at St. Joseph's Health Care in London, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Knoppert earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (University of Western Ontario, 1976), Bachelors of Education Degree (University of Toronto,1977), Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (University of Toronto, 1980), and a Master of Science in Pharmacy (University of Toronto, 1986). He completed a hospital pharmacy residency at University Hospital in London, Ontario in 1981. He also received a Master of Science in Epidemiology and Biostatistics (University of Western Ontario, 2004).

Mr. Knoppert has been a member of PPAG since 1999 and has served on the Research Committee since 2000, and co-chaired the committee from 2004-06. He has also served as a Scientific Abstract Reviewers since 2000. Mr. Knoppert has also led the PPAG International Inititiatives, which has resulted in the first International Pediatric Symposium that will be held in conjunction with ACCP in April 2009. Dave served as an At-large member of the Board from 2008-2011.

Amy Potts, President-Elect

Amy Potts, PharmD, BCPS is Assistant Director of the Department of Pharmacy and PGY1 and PGY2 Residency Program Director at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Dr. Potts has over 10 years of NICU experience.

She is a graduate of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and has completed two years of post-graduate residency training in pharmacy practice and pediatrics both at Vanderbilt. She was the Clinical Coordinator and NICU Clinical Pharmacist at Children’s Hospital of Austin in Texas and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh before returning to Vanderbilt Children’s in 2006.

Dr. Potts has been a member of PPAG for 7 years and has actively served on both the Advocacy and Education Committees. She has helped develop and co-author many position statements relevant to pediatric pharmacy practice and helped in the planning and organization of the annual and specialty meetings this past year. She has also served as a mentor to new authors for the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Amy served as an At-large member of the Board from 2008-2011.

Michael Christensen, Immediate Past-President

Michael L. Christensen is Director of Pharmacy at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center and the Stevens Professor at the University of Tennessee in Memphis. Dr. Christensen received a BS in Pharmacy from North Dakota State University in 1978 and his PharmD from the University of Tennessee in 1982. He completed a Pediatrics Residency at LeBonheur Children’s Medical Center in 1983 and completed a fellowship in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in 1984. Dr. Christensen is a member of the BPS Specialty Council on Nutrition Support Pharmacy. He is a reviewer for over 10 Journals.

Dr. Christensen has been a member of PPAG since 1997. He has presented numerous times at PPAG Meetings. He is a member of the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics editorial board. Dr. Christensen has served on the Board since 2007.

Jeffrey Low, Treasurer

Jeff Low is Clinical Pharmacist Specialist-Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth and Director of the Pharmacy Practice Residency Program at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Dr. Low received his PharmD from the University of Kentucky in 1996. He completed an ASHP Accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Jeff has been an active member of PPAG for 9 years, and he has participated on the research & member services committees. Since 2003, Jeff has served as the Vice-President for Member Services, where he has worked on projects such as the PPAG website upgrades, membership survey, PPAG newsletter, and launching online CE. Jeff has served on the PPAG from 2007-11.

William (Bill) Maish, Secretary

Bill Maish, Pharm.D., is an Acute Pediatrics Clinical Pharmacist Specialist at the Arnold Palmer Medical Center in Orlando. He participates in residency training through the PGY 2 in Pediatrics at Arnold Palmer Medical Center and the PGY 1 at Orlando Healthcare. He also precepts students from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Dr. Maish earned a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (Purdue University, 1986) and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (Medical University of South Carolina, 1991). He completed two fellowships in Oklahoma City; Pediatric Pharmacotherapy (University of Oklahoma Medical Center, 1993) and Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacotherapeutics (the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 1994).

Bill has been an active member of PPAG for more than 15 years and has participated on the Membership Services Committee during most of that time. After serving as Member Services Committee Chair, Bill became the Vice-President for Member Services in 2007, where he has worked on projects such as the quarterly PPAG newsletters, PPAG website upgrades, and membership surveys. He has also served as an Abstract Reviewer. Bill has served on the Board since 2009.

Board of Directors

Leslie Briars

Term Ends 2012

Leslie A. Briars, Pharm.D., is an ambulatory care clinical pharmacist at the University of Illinois Medical Center (UIMCC) at Chicago Children and Adolescent Center. She also has an appointment to the College of Pharmacy as a Clinical Assistant Professor. Leslie has served in her current position since July of 1995.

She received her doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1993 and then completed a one-year pharmacy practice residency at University Medical Center in Jacksonville, Florida in 1994. In 1995, Leslie completed a one-year pediatric pharmacy specialty residency at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Her areas of interest include asthma, attention deficit disorder, adolescent medicine, nephrology and HIV infection.

Dr. Briars served as Chair of the 2008 Annual Meeting and has served on the Board of Directors since 2009.

Jared Cash

Term Ends 2014

Jared Cash, PharmD, is the Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator at the Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, UT.

Dr. Cash served as the 2010 Specialty Conference Planning Committee Chairperson and is currently the Chair of the Artemis Expert Review Panel. He has served on the education and research committees. He has presented many poster presentations and been a presenter at PPAG Annual and Specialty Conferences.

Michael (Mike) Chicella

Term Ends 2014

Mike Chicella, PharmD, is the Clinical Coordinator at the Children's Hospital of the King's Daughter in Norfolk, VA.

Since becoming a member in 1997, Dr. Chicella has been active in PPAG. Since 2003 he has been on the Research Committee, serving as Chair from 2007-11. He has served on the JPPT Advisory Committee and has reviewed for the Journal. He has presented 16 poster presentations and published 7 manuscripts in the PPAG Journal. He has also given 10 presentations at PPAG Conferences.

Kay Kyllonen

Term End 2012

Kay Kyllonen, PharmD has been appointed to a one-year term on the Board of Directors.

Dr. Kyllonen is a Clinical Specialist in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH.

Dr. Kyllonen has served on the Education Committee for serveral years, and was the chairperson of the 2009 PPAG Annual Conference. She received FPPAG recognition in 2009. She has presented during PPAG Annual Conferences.

Dr. Kyllonen has been instrumental in the development of Clinical Special Interest Groups at PPAG.

Timothy (Tim) Todd

Term Ends 2013

Timothy Todd, PharmD has been appointed to a two-year term on the Board of Directors.

Dr. Todd is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy in Chicago, IL.

During his time with PPAG, Dr. Todd has been a member of both the Education and Advocacy Committees. After serving as the meeting chair for the PICU Specialty Meeting in Baltimore, he was appointed to the position of Chair/Vice President of Education. As Chair of the Education Committee, Dr. Todd has worked with each of the Annual and Specialty Subcommittees to create our meetings over the last three years. Additionally, he have provided leadership for the Bruce Parks Memorial Residency Project Showcase programs, served on the ad hoc Ambulatory Care Task Force, assisted in the establishment of the SIGs, evaluated abstract submissions for the Research Committee, and served as a reviewer for JPPT.

Heather VandenBussche

Term Ends 2012

Heather L. VandenBussche, is a Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Ferris State University College of Pharmacy in Kalamazoo, MI. She practices in general pediatrics at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo and in the cystic fibrosis clinic at the Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies. Dr. VandenBussche received her PharmD at the University of Michigan in 1995. She completed an ASHP-accredited pharmacy practice residency at Children’s Hospital in Detroit, MI in 1996 and a pediatric pharmacy specialty residency at the University of Michigan in 1997.

Dr. VandenBussche has been a member of PPAG since 1996 and has actively served on the Research Committee since 2003, which she has co-chaired from 2006-2009. She has reviewed scientific research abstracts since 2004 and authored the Guidelines for Abstract Preparation in 2008. She has also served on the Journal Advisory Board for the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics since 2006. She has also presented at various annual meetings since 2005.

For a list of previous Board members, please visit: www.ppag.org/historical-board.